An Introduction to Biomass Energy
Biomass is the material
derived from plants that use sunlight to grow which include plant and
animal material such as wood from forests, material left over from
agricultural and forestry processes, and organic industrial, human and
animal wastes. Biomass comes from a variety of sources which include:
- Wood from natural forests and woodlands
- Forestry plantations
- Forestry residues
- Agricultural residues such as straw, stover, cane trash and green agricultural wastes
- Agro-industrial wastes, such as sugarcane bagasse and rice husk
- Animal wastes
- Industrial wastes, such as black liquor from paper manufacturing
- Sewage
- Municipal solid wastes (MSW)
- Food processing wastes
In nature, if biomass is left lying
around on the ground it will break down over a long period of time,
releasing carbon dioxide and its store of energy slowly. By burning
biomass its store of energy is released quickly and often in a useful
way. So converting biomass into useful energy imitates the natural
processes but at a faster rate.
Biomass can be transformed into clean
energy and/or fuels by a variety of technologies, ranging from
conventional combustion process to emerging biofuels technology. Besides
recovery of substantial energy, these technologies can lead to a
substantial reduction in the overall waste quantities requiring final
disposal, which can be better managed for safe disposal in a controlled
manner while meeting the pollution control standards.
Biomass waste-to-energy conversion
reduces greenhouse gas emissions in two ways. Heat and electrical
energy is generated which reduces the dependence on power plants based
on fossil fuels. The greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced
by preventing methane emissions from landfills. Moreover, biomass
energy plants are highly efficient in harnessing the untapped sources of
energy from biomass resources.
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